Can you buy medicine at a convenience store in Korea?

The rule

Since November 2012 Korea has allowed 24-hour convenience stores (CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, emart24 and others) to sell a small, government-fixed set of “safe household medicines” (안전상비의약품). The Pharmaceutical Affairs Act caps the list at 20 products and the Ministry of Health and Welfare sets it by notice; today it has 13 products in four groups: fever and pain relief, cold remedies, digestive aids, and medicated patches. Nothing else: no antihistamines, no diarrhoea medicine, no antiseptic, no prescription drugs.

It is meant to bridge the hours when pharmacies are closed, not to stock a medicine cabinet. The stores are not pharmacies: nobody there can advise you, and the packs are deliberately small.

Not every store carries them. Only a store that is open 24 hours every day and has registered with the local district office may sell them, so many branches do not. Look for a small display near the till, or ask 약 있어요? (yak iss-eo-yo?, “do you have medicine?”).

The 13 products

Do not double up on acetaminophen. The cold remedies on this list already contain acetaminophen. Taking Tylenol on top of Pancol or Panpyrin can push you past the safe daily limit. Read the ingredient line, or ask the clerk to point out 아세트아미노펜 on the box.

The law fixes what a store may sell, not what it must stock, so a branch may carry only some of the 13. Ask for 상비약 (sang-bi-yak, “household medicine”) and see what they have.

The rules at the till

• One pack per product per purchase. The rule is in the law, so the clerk will refuse a second box of the same item
• No sales to children under 12 or to primary-school pupils. An adult buys children’s medicine for them
• Packs are small: the official list fixes them at a few tablets, one bottle of liquid or four patches
• There is no pharmacist. The clerk cannot advise on dose or interactions. If you have any doubt, wait for a pharmacy

Check the children’s doses yourself If it is for a child, read the age and weight table on the box before buying, and never give an adult tablet to a child. For a baby or a toddler, wait for a pharmacy or ask a doctor.

What is not there

Most of what travellers actually need at night is not on the list: antihistamines for allergies or bites, loperamide for diarrhoea, motion-sickness tablets, antacids beyond the enzyme tablets, antiseptic or antibiotic ointment, throat lozenges with an active ingredient, adult ibuprofen or aspirin. Plasters and basic first-aid items are sold as ordinary goods. For the rest you need an open pharmacy.

Late-night pharmacies exist in every large city, and this site lists them by area. Some local governments also designate public late-night pharmacies (공공심야약국), which by law open in the evening until 1 AM unless the local government sets a shorter late-night window. In central Seoul, Busan and near university hospitals you can usually find one within a taxi ride.

Finding a 24-hour or late-night pharmacy

Pharmacies open now on the map

Pick a region for its districts: pharmacies open now in each one, and the lists for late nights, Sundays and public holidays.

• Seoul
• Busan
• Daegu
• Incheon
• Gwangju
• Daejeon
• Ulsan
• Sejong
• Gyeonggi
• Gangwon
• Chungbuk
• Chungnam
• Jeonbuk
• Jeonnam
• Gyeongbuk
• Gyeongnam
• Jeju

When to skip both and get help

Convenience-store medicine is for a mild headache, a cold that is keeping you awake, or an upset stomach after dinner. A high fever in a small child, chest pain, breathing difficulty, a severe allergic reaction or a wound that will not stop bleeding is a reason to call 119, not to look for a tablet.

What to do in a medical emergency